Opinion
Letters

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Premier Dalton McGuinty should not allow the rape of the poor to occur, and everyone else as well.

If he thinks the big one above has given us a snow job the last two winters, think again; we will soon be attached to an umbilical cord called a smart meter that is programmed to gouge your pocketbook the most between 7 a. m. and 11

a. m., then again between 5 p. m. and 8

p. m.

Since some of these meters have been

installed I have noticed a surge of power on our kitchen range while cooking breakfast -is that to justify this rape? How can you feed your family at any other time? It's when children are going to school or coming home or you are going to work.

A few years ago the more power you used the less you paid. Does our premier know that our hydro utility made enough money to pay on the hydro debt, pay all costs of producing and give our government a large sum of money as well?

Before they require me to get a meter I want my electrical heating converted to another source, at the province's cost.

I have noticed that our local utility "managers" have given themselves titles such as "President," and City Hall has seen fit to skinny dip at the trough. That is all coming out of my hydro bill.

Should our dear premier want to think green he can shut every coal-burning electrical power source and go to the safest and best power source: Darlington.

Were I premier of this province and knew that everyone in Ontario is going to suffer I would not allow this smart meter monster to be installed, ever. ALBERT J. CADORETTE Armour Road

Tougher suspensions have little appeal

Re "Drinking drivers face stiffer suspensions" (April 25) -

This article contains a confession that "innocence" is no excuse. If a driver is commanded by police to blow into a roadside device and records a blood alcohol count below the legal limit of 80 milligrams in 100 millilitres of blood, under Bill 203 the driver's suspension will increase from 12 hours to ". . . three, seven or 30 days . . ." The officer acts as bailiff, judge and jury, the driver has no right of appeal. The excuse for abandoning important civil rights is that no law under the Criminal Code has been broken.

According to Const. Peter Sejrup, the suspensions will be tracked for five years and the driver can be penalized ". . . for a second offence any time within that period." The penalty can be seizure of the vehicle. According to civil forfeiture laws enacted in February, even though the driver has broken no law he can have his vehicle seized. The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled seizure means the province keeps it.

What makes this amendment particularly appalling is the research by Robert Borkenstein, who invented the breathalyser and the rate of 80 mg indicating alcohol impairment. His research involving over 12,000 drivers was unequivocal, the 80 mg in 100 mls of blood was only one of many elements to affect driving ability. There is another important aspect of his research which the authorities or Mothers Against Drunk Driving, MADD don't want you to know -very low levels of blood alcohol can make you a safer driver.

RON DABOR RR 4, Warkworth

Home pest recipes not part of ban

Re "There's good and bad in province's pesticide ban" (Column, April 24) -

In Gary Westlake's otherwise very helpful article, a clarification is in order. He incorrectly states that Ontario's new pesticide law disallows homeowners from using certain benign home-made pest control remedies.

He specifically notes that baking soda, milk, soap, ammonia, and vinegar, all used in various combinations of homemade pest control remedies, are banned. This new law does not ban such uses.

It is true that lawn care companies are only allowed to use and sell products and services that are federally registered as pesticides. They also must follow greater restrictions applied by local bylaws and now Ontario's new law. However, the new law does not ban individual homeowners from using the home-made pest control options noted in Mr. Westlake's article and, for example, recommended by Ed Lawrence. It does ban from use and sale, a wide range of commercially available pesticide products.

The Ministry of Environment is also wisely recommending against homeowners brewing up potentially toxic concoctions from, for example, poisonous rhubarb leaves. Even some of the benign options noted by Mr. Westlake or Ed Lawrence need to be handled carefully, particularly ammonia, but they are not banned as pesticides under Ontario's new law.